The Search for Curiosity - Pt.3
April 25th, 2042: The Search for Curiosity - Part 3:1 Journal Entries by Doctor Cornelius Lorenzini, astrophysicist stationed at Helios Outward Station, 200 kilometres from the Noctis Labyrinthus. Three and a half months. That is how long it took for me to finally get all of my team out of this base in order to record this entry in private! *cough* Those eager young men and women have managed to *cough* take up all of my time. I am apparently their "mentor" now and they listen with great doe eyes to everything I say. Fools. I've grown fond of a few of them, but they know my history and should be smarter than to try and follow in my example. Much has happened in the last few months. Too much to cover everything in this journal, but I shall endeavor to make note of the highlights. There are nineteen of us here now. Last month they brought out an expansion and doubled the size of the base. I am now teaching haphazard classes, critiquing work studies, and unfortunately there's also plenty of babysitting as most these kids hardly have a clue how to live out here. *cough* It is like being back at Harvard, in a way. Except in Harvard I had Alexandra and there wasn't always dust in my food. The expansion on the base came after we'd discovered that the radiation itself is *cough* like nothing on record. From aerial surveys we've determined the center to be a hundred times more intense than anything ever measured and it reaches out in every direction for nearly a twenty kilometer radius. In fact, it's still spreading. Most importantly, I have had precious little time to continue my search for Curiosity, as I said these scampering children practically never leave my side. I cannot have them come with me when I do finally have my chance. This is not some cruel desire to keep it secret or borne out of jealousy. *cough* Last week I was finally able to confirm that Curiosity did indeed come to the Noctis. I found tread marks leading me towards the deepest part of the Laburinthus, and unfortunately into the heart of this radiation anomaly. I know now that the area where she went has such high levels of radiation that, even with the advanced shielding suit, it would most likely still be fatal for a human to go there for any extended period of time. I cannot ask any of them to go with me. I know they will all want to come. I know Laura will want to come. Yes. My daughter is part of the team. She arrived last month. I had never actually written her back, but she learned on Earth, somehow, of my work. It is... comforting to have her here. In a way I cannot explain. Alexandra always helped me with my experiments, and Laura is just as quick as her mother was. That doesn't mean I'm going to let her kill herself when she finds out I've found Curiosity. Enough of that. Tonight I shall sneak out. They are celebrating the find of young MacKenzie and his geological survey. He will be published and interviewed on the Newswire. His discovery means that several mining firms will be coming out this way to begin prospecting. Well, I mean, that is if we can figure out that damned radiation and stop it from spreading. *cough* I must act tonight, while they are distracted. I... computer. In 48 hours, please send these Journals to Laura Lorenzini. I must prepare. Tonight, I shall find Curiosity. And bring her home. Cornelius Out April 26th, 2042: The Search for Curiosity - Part 3:2 Journal Entries by Doctor Cornelius Lorenzini, astrophysicist stationed at Helios Outward Station, 200 kilometres from the Noctis Labyrinthus. This is... Doctor *static*...ini and I am recording this journal from *static*...tis Labyrinthus. I am about to enter the high radiation area where I believe Curiosity *static* all those years ago! I am getting massive amounts of interference being this deep inside the *static* and many of the sensors are not working. I may need to do this on sight alone. *static* There! The tread! It matches! Guardians. It matches. I've found her. Just down here. *Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep* Blasted thing. Computer. Disable Geiger counter. HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION DETECTED. ARE YOU SURE? Yes, damnit! Turn it off! I can't be bothered with that now! Alright. Following the treads... look at the formations on the walls. The outward spread and the curvature. There is no doubt this was caused by a massive impact of some sort. Maybe a meteor? None of our scans indicated anything at the heart of the Labyrinthus. *static* A power source! There's something ahead! I *cough cough cough* I think she's just a few hundred meters away. Five hundred meters. Power signature is *static* stronger! Four hundred meters. I... those formations are tight now. She must be at the impact site. Three hundred meters. *static* interference is *static* getting *cough* a lot worse *cough*. Two hundred meters. There's a... *cough cough* light... up ahead. One hundred meters. Readings are off the *static* charts. How did we not get a reading on this from above? Everything is off the charts! My god and light. There she is and *static* Curiosity. Next to a... what the hell is that? It's... I think it's a ship? The tail end of one, anyway... that could be a rear engine *static* appears to be quite large, and metallic, though it's mostly buried in the ground and covered in *static* so I can't be certain. *cough* Computer, land us next to that... hatch? Land us next to the thing that looks sort of *static* hatch, and then *static* Curiosity in the back for me. I have to... I have to *cough* take a look. Could it be a Guardian ship? It's... well there appears to be a hatch door of some kind here, it's *static* on the surface of the wall, next to the hatch. Those letters *static* that's not the Guardian language! That's... something else. I've never seen anything like this. And they say the Guardian's travel through reflected light, not shi--*cough* This isn't... this isn't a Guardian ship. *cough* Dizzy... *static* hold on... knew this might be a *static* trip. DOCTOR. YOUR LIFE SIGNS ARE CRITICAL. YOU MUST LEAVE. No, no. Record this. We need to... get as much footage as possible. Before the terraformers... before the terraformers *static* we need to see this. Computer. Load a *cough cough cough* return... *static* five minutes...just in... look at it. This is something... New. CURIOSITY IS LOADED DOCTOR. ... ... CURIOSITY IS LOADED, DOCTOR. WE ARE READY TO LEAVE. ... ... ... ... PLOTTING RETURN TRAJECTORY. ... ... END PART 6 Category:Curiosity Rover Category:Noctis Labyrinthus Category:April 26, 2042 Category:Unknown Ship Category:Laura Lorenzini